Keyboard mechanism for typographical machines



NOV. 5, 1929. 3 SPERRY I 1,734,922

KEYBOARD MECHANISM FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL MACHINES Filed March 20, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l o .20 9 1 eez g g O Fig. 1.

INVENTOR Now- 5, 1929.

I S. E. SPERRY KEYBOARD MECHANISM FOR TYPQGRAPHICAL MACHINES Filed March 20. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l atentecl Nov. 5, 1929 SAMUEL E. SPERRY, 0F HOLLIS, NEW YOR PATENT OFFICE K, ASSIGNOR To INTERTYPE CORPORATION,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK KEYBOARD MECHANISM FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL MACHINES Application filed March 20, 1928. Serial No. 263,201.

The present invention relates to improvements in typographical machines and more especially to those of the general class shown and described in Letters Patent No. 436,532 granted September .16, 1890, to O. Mergenthaler wherein character-bearing matrices stored in a magazine are released and tie livered therefrom for assembly in a line and presentation to a mold for the casting of a type bar or slug therefrom,.under the control of a keyboard.

In machines of this class as usually constructed, the keyboard which controls the delivery of the matrices from the magazine comis prises continuously revolving rubber faced rollers and cams which move, under the control of the finger keys of the keyboard, into engagement with the rollers whereupon they are operated by the rollers to actuate escapements which control the delivery of the matrices from the magazine, and in practice, it becomes necessary, occasionally, to remove the rollers to clean or repair them or to substitute new rollers, owing to wear offthe rollers due to,

the engagement of the cams therewith. Heretofore, such removal of the rollers has been awkward and has occasioned much delay, as it has been necessary to release the bushing of the roller shaft adjacent to its driving gear and to slide such bushing out of its bearing and to withdraw the roller for its full length axially through the bearing, and on machines having an auxiliary or side magazine equipi'nent, such removal of the rollers has been more awkward and. dii'iicult and has required.

disturbing other associated parts of the keyboard frame mechanism, which has resulted in excessive delay and trouble.

The objects of the present invention are to provide an improved mounting for the keyboard rollers of machines of this cl ass whereby these rollers may be removed quickly and easily and without disturbing other associated parts of the keyboard mechz'anism and wherein 'the supporting elements of the rollers are easily accessible and simple in construction.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in certain improvements and combinations and arrangements ofparts all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the features of novelty being pointed out particularly in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. l is a perspective view of the keyboard mechanism of a typographical machine having the rollers thereof mounted in accordance with the present invention, the keyboard mechanism being shown in conjunction with an auxiliary keyboard for an auxiliary or side magazine equipment;

Fig 2 represents a section taken vertically through the keyboard mechanism, this figure indicating how the rollers may be removed and replaced;

Fig. 3 represents in top plan and on an enlarged scale the keyboard rollers, their supporting frames, and the means for mounting the rollers in their frames;

Fig. 4 represents avertical section taken on the line l-l of Fig. 3 but showing the respective roller partially removed from its operative position;

Fig. 5 represents an elevation of Fig. 3 as viewed from the right hand side thereof, the

d *ing gears being removed and part of the structure being shown in section; and

- tion is especially applicable to typographical machines of the general class shown and deec- .ied in the Mergenthaler patent hereinbc'lore referred to, wherein the keyboard controls the delivery of matrices from the storage magazine. The preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings and will be hereinafter described in detail, but it is to be understood that the invention is not restricted to the precise construction shown as equivalent constructions are contemplated and such will be included within the scope of the claims.

In the drawings, 1 represents the keyboard of a typographical machine of the general class referred to, the keyboard having finger keys 2 which are carried by key levers .3 which are pivoted as at 4-, the rear ends of the different key levers engaging vertically movable key bars 5 which cooperate at their upper ends with triggers 6 which normally support cam yokes 7 in elevated or inoperative positions.

The cam yokes are pivoted at 8 to cam-yoke bearings 9, the latter being fixed to cam-yoke bearing bars 10, and the cam yokes have cams ll revolubly mounted therein, the cams in each row being normally held in inactive position by a stop bar 12, the construction, as well known, being such that when the key bar 5 is raised by depression of its corre sponding finger key the respective trigger will be rocked so that it will release its respective cam yoke thus allowing the cam in said yoke to drop on to a continuously revolving roller which will act to rotate the cam and in so doing, to elevate the free end of the cam yoke. The latter will then act on the lower end of a reed or key rod 13, the upper end of these key rods, as is well known, cooperating with escapements which control the delivery of matrices from the magazine. The keyboard rollers with which the cams ll cooperate each comprise usually a metal shaft 14 and a facing 15 composed of rub her or a similar composition, and the shafts of these rollers are mounted at their ends in the lower end portions of cam-yoke frames 16 to which the cam-yoke bearing bars 10 are attached, the roller shafts having gears l? fixed on their right hand ends as shown in Fig. 1 and the rollers being driven by a belt engaging a pulley l8 fixed on one of the roller shafts. Each side of the keyboard is provided with a side plate 19 which is reinovably secured in position to serve as a dust guard for the enclosed mechanism, and the top of the keyboard in rear of the finger keys is provided with a removable tray 20 which or 1'- lies the key levers in frontof the forwarc cam-yoke frame 16.

21 is the keyboard of an auxiliary or side magazine equipment with which machines of this general class are frequently supplied, as is well known, the keyboard 21 when used being placed at the right hand side of the keyboard 1 as shown in Fig. l, and the side magazine equipment occupying a position opposite to the right hand ends of the rollers of the main keyboard 1.

According to the present invention, the rollers of the main keyboard are so mounted in their frames 16 that these rollers may be lowered from their hearings in said frames and may move forwardly above the key levers of the keyboard and thus be removed at the front of the keyboard, endwise withdrawal of the rollers throughout their lengths, as heretofore required, and which would be prevented by the presence of an auxiliary keyboard 21, being unnecessary, and moreover, the keyboard rollers are removable without removing or o herwise disturbing the cam-yokes or other parts of the keyboard, with the result that the operation of removing or replacing these rollers is greatly facilitated and rendered more expeditious so that the delay in the operation of the machine, occasioned by removal of the keyboar l rollers, is reduced to a minimum.

the preferred construction as shown in the accompanying drawings, the left hand end of each roller shaft let is journalled in a bushing 22 which encircles this end of the shaft and is fixed in a bearing 23 which is an integral or fixed part of the frame 16, but this end of the shaft is movable axially in the bushing for the purpose of removal.

The other or right hand end of the yoke frame 16 is provided with a semi circular or open-bottom bearing 24. in the upper portion of which is seated a bearing bushing 25 which surrounds the right hand end of the shaft 14; at a point between the facing 15 thereon and the driving gear 17. The bearing 24 is of a diameter equal to or preferably somewhat larger than the diameter of the rubber facing 15 of the roller so that the roller will be able to enter the bearing 2 when the roller is displaced axially toward the right in Figs. 3 and 4:. Normally, the left hand end of the roller shaft is engaged in the fixed bearing bushing and the opposite or right hand end of the roller is supported by the bushing 25 which is seated in the open-bottom bearing 24, means being provided for removably supporting the bush.- ing 25 in such position and preventing axial displacement thereof. Such means as shown in the present instance comprises a clamp ng screw which preferably consists of a stud 26 threaded radially into or otherwise fixed in the bushing 25 and adapted to move longitudinally in a slot 27 which extends axially in the upper wall of the bearing 2%, the upper end of this stud being threaded to receive a nut 26, the nut when tightened, bearing on the top wall of the bearing 2% and thereby acting to clamp the bushing 25 securely in the bearing 24 so that it will be firmly supported therein and held against axial displacement. Obviously, a machine screw may be used instead of the stud and nut shown, in which case the threaded stem of the screw would rotatably engage in the bushing and the head of the screw would bear on the top wall of the bearing 2%.

Normally, each roller will be supported in cooperative relationship with its respectiv cams 11 by the bushing 22 which is fixed in the bearing 23 at the left hand end of the frame 16 and by the bushing 25 which is removably secured in the open-bottom bearing 24 in the right hand end of said frame by the clamping action of the screw 26 which is normally tightened, it thus supporting the bushing and preventing endwise displacement thereof. As the bushing 25 is between the rubber facing 15 on the roller shaft 14 and the driving gear 17, endwise movement of the shaft will be prevented when the bushing 25 is thus secured. When it becomes necessary or desirable to remove the roller from the keyboard, it is only necessary to loosen nut 26 and to then shift the roller shaft 1% together with the bushing 25 in an axial direction until the left hand end of the shaft 14 reaches the inner end of the bushing 22, the rubber facing 15 on the shaft out of contact with the top of the roller.

W hen the roller has been thus shifted axially, it, together with the bushing 25 may then be lowered, this being permitted. by the open bottom of the bearing 2&, and when the shaft has been lowered sufficiently to clear the bottom of the frame 16 and the cam-yoke bearing bar 10, it may be moved above the keyboard levers and thus completely removed from the front of the machine.

The forward roller in Fig. 2 may thus be lowered to the position indicated at a, and then shifted forwardly beneath the front of the frame 16 and beneath the front cam-yoke bearing bar 10 to the position indicated at Z) and then removed from the front of the machine above the finger keys, while the rear oller may be similarly lowered to the position indicated at a, then shifted rearwardly to the position indicated at Z) and then removed from the back of the keyboard. To enable either or both of the rollers to be thus removed, it is only necessary to detach the side plates 19 and the tray 20 from the keyboard. After the rollers have been repaired, they may be replaced by a reversal of the operations justdescribed, each roller being firmly secured in its normal operative position by tightening the respective clamping screw 26 after tne stem of this screw has been introduced into and shifted in the slot 27.

It will be obvious that the present invention enables either or both of the keyboard rollers to be removed or replaced by simply removing the dust covers of the keyboard, without dislocating any of the working parts of the keyboard, and moreover, either or both of the rollers may be removed without disturbing an auxiliary keyboard or side mechanism equipment if such is used, as it is unnecessary to withdraw the rollers axially throughout their length in order to remove them, has heretofore been required.

I claim as my invention 1. Keyboard mechanism for typographical machines comprising a supporting frame havlng sldes, cam yokes mounted in said frame between the sides thereof, and a cam roller below said cam yokes and extending between the sides of the frame for actuating said cam yokes, bearing means for removably supporting said roller comprising a bearing bushing fixed on one side of said frame to axially receive and support one end of said roller, a

bearing at the lower edge of the opposite side of said frame and open at the bottom, a removable bearing bushing for the roller movable with the roller axially of said open bottom bearing and also movable vertically into and out of said open bottom bearing, and

means for detachably securing said removable.

bushing in said open bottom bearing.

2. Keyboard mechanism for typographical machines comprising a supporting frame having sides, cam yokes mounted in said frame between the sides thereof, and a cam roller below said cam yokes and extending between the sides of the frame for actuating said cam yokes, bearing means for removably supporting said roller comprising a bearing bushing fixed on one side of said frame to axially receive and support one end of said roller, a bearing at the lower edge of the opposite side of said frame and open at the bottom, a removable bearing bushing for the roller movable with the roller axially of said open bottom'bearing and also movable vertically into and out of said open bottom bearing, and means extending through the upper portion of the open bottom bearing and engaging the removable bushing to detachably suspend it in said open bottom bearing.

3. Keyboard mechanism for typographical machines comprising a supporting frame having sides, cam yokes mounted in said frame between the sides thereof, and a cam roller below said cam yokes and extending between the sides of the frame for actuating said cam yokes, bearing means for removably supporting said roller comprising a bearing bushing fixed on one side of said frame to axially receive and support one end of said roller, a bearing at the lower edge of the opposite side of said frame and open at the bottom, a removable bearing bushing for the roller movable with the roller axially of said open bottom bearing and also movable vertically into and out of said open bottom bearing, said open bottom bearing having a slot in its upper portion extending longitudinally from its outer end, and a clamping screw movable into said slot and engaging the removable bushing for securing it in said open bottom hearing.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

SAMUEL E. SPERRY. 

